fiction

October in Review

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I read 15 books last month, my 2nd-highest count for the year, and almost exactly matching the page count in February, during which I also read 15 books. I didn’t really feel like I read more last month than the several months before it, but apparently I had a lot of time to listen to audiobooks, since they account for 7 of the 15.

Here are the books I read in October:

Nightfall
Poirot 6
Fall of Five
39-4
Seat beside me
Carpenter 7
Cahills vs 2
anne-5
Clergy Couples
ND6
Unfixed
McGee 11
I was murdered
Hold Back
Poirot 8

Nightfall by Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski (3.5 / 5)
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore (5 / 5)
Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson (5 / 5)
The Seat Beside Me by Nancy Moser (5 / 5)
New Tricks by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
A King’s Ransom by Jude Watson (5 / 5)
Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery (5 / 5)
Clergy Couples in Crisis by Dean Merrill (5 / 5)
The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn Keene (4 / 5)
Unfixed by Amy L. Sauder (2.5 / 5)
The Blunder Years by Bill Myers & Robert West (5 / 5)
I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble (4 / 5)
Hold Back the Night by Axel Blackwell (4 / 5)
Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (5 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from October was The Fall of Five. I started 0 series, continued 7 series, and finished 0 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: Peril at End House

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Peril at End House
Hercule Poirot #8
 by Agatha Christie
read by Hugh Fraser

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

This was my favorite Poirot novel so far. Somehow it didn’t feel as bloated or muddled, or at least it managed to keep me more engaged throughout. I don’t know if it was due to there being a few less characters or less unnecessary side trails during the mystery, though there were certainly still some. Really, I can’t pinpoint the reason, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Granted, I guessed at the culprit fairly early on and ended up being right, though I had no idea about the motive. Maybe that played a part in my enjoyment, but maybe not, since I second-guessed myself several times, since, without a motive various things that happened along the way made me doubt my theory. 

Huge Fraser does a great job narrating, and I hope to enjoy the next book as much as I did this one.

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Book Review: Hold Back the Night

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Hold Back the Night
A Detective McDaniel Thriller #1
by Axel Blackwell

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Crime drama

When Detective Darren McDaniel is called in on a case involving a pre-teen girl found dead on a bus bench with a chain around her ankle, he knows it’s going to be bad. Child molestation and human trafficking feature heavily in this book, so let that be a warning to any who would prefer to avoid those topics.

Overall, this book reads like a typical police procedural story. It drags a bit as the lead characters wait for things to go through the proper channels, warrants to come through, etc., though it’s broken up some by the main character’s backstory being given to us in bits and pieces. There is some attempt at comic relief, but the book mostly stays dark and serious throughout. McDaniel’s relationship with his family is a breath of fresh air in this kind of story, and I really liked the way his wife pushes him to open up to her. There are some clichés, especially near the end, but it’s not overdone. There is a decent amount of language in the book (much of it even more unnecessary than usual), but no other content issues, other than the glaringly obvious one mentioned in the first paragraph.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that there are definitely some typos and incorrect word choices, things that probably would have been fixed by some research and/or more editing (for example, a character uses an M1 Garand, but it’s spelled “Grand” in the book). Things like this can detract from the book for some, so let that be a warning. Overall, I enjoyed the book, even though the author left a pretty major loose end. I don’t know if I’ll continue the series, but I do recommend the book to fans of procedural crime dramas.

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Book Review: The Blunder Years

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The Blunder Years
McGee and Me! #11
by Bill Myers & Robert West

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

Nicholas’s entry into middle school may be pure cliché, as he ditches his friends to hang out with the cool crowd, but it still made for a touching story, at least to me. The key to that is Derrick Cryder, Nick’s erstwhile bully, whose change of heart is maybe a bit tenuous. Derrick being the catalyst to getting Nick back to his real self is great. As for McGee, it’s no secret that I’m not a fan of his adventures, but it adds another layer to Nick’s attempt to change himself when McGee sort of disappears for a time. Though Nick will have to outgrow his cartoon friend some time, apparently this is not that time. Cliché plot or not, I really enjoyed this entry in the series. These books may not be easy to find anymore, but if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: I Think I Was Murdered

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I Think I Was Murdered
by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker
read by Karen Peakes

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian mystery, romance

After Katrina’s beloved grandmother dies and the FBI goes after the CEO of the tech company for which she is legal counsel, she retreats to her hometown to figure out her next steps. She also lost her husband a year previous, and she eases her grief by talking to an AI chat program that is loaded with her his texts and emails. But then an innocuous question to her the bot returns a response that sets her world spinning even more: “I think I was murdered.”

The premise of this story intrigued me greatly, and the mystery aspect of the story was suspenseful and engaging. The book mostly takes place in a small town in California, where Katrina grew up with a Norwegian father and grandmother (called “Bestemor”), and there are a lot of references to Norwegian food and traditions, which I enjoyed. There is romance, but it’s not quite as front-and-center as a lot of these Christian romantic suspense books tend to be. The main male character has family issues that don’t connect to the main story, though they do provide an in-depth backstory for him that make him a well-rounded character.

However, there are several side stories, and I’m not sure all of them are particularly beneficial to the story. There are a couple of minor twists in the book, one of which I suspected from pretty early in the book. I don’t know if it was just that obvious or if I simply took a leap that happened to be correct. In the end, the book wasn’t a stand-out read for me, but I did enjoy listening to it. The narrator is decent, differentiating voices well enough to make the story easy to follow, though there were times when it seemed like her voice was more distressed-sounding than it needed to be. Overall though, I’d recommend this book for fans of Christian romantic suspense/mystery novels, especially those who are interested in the AI angle.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: November 12, 2024

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Book Review: The Secret of Red Gate Farm

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The Secret of Red Gate Farm
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #6
by Carolyn Keene
read by Laura Linney

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic mystery

The coincidences that occur around Nancy that lead her to solve this case would bother me if the book was meant for adults or even teens. But I often have to remind myself that the books are written for kids, and with that in mind, the elements that don’t seem connected at first might create an exciting story for the target audience. The plot of this book didn’t seem as bloated as the previous couple in the series did, but I was still annoyed by the “Nancy is the best at everything she does” aspect that I suppose I’ll just have to get used to. Whatever reason the writers had to think that was the role model kids needed at the time these were written, I’m sure it won’t be toned down at any point in the series. Linney does a great job bringing Nancy to life, and I’m looking forward to continuing.

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Book Review: A King’s Ransom

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A King’s Ransom
The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers #2
by Jude Watson

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

Amy and Dan Cahill continue to jump through hoops for their enemy, Vesper One, trying to save the lives of their abducted friends and family members. This time, they’re given the impossible task of finding a map that’s been missing for decades.

The Cahills’ saga continues strong in this 2nd book in the sequel series. Amy and Dan are forced to make decisions beyond their years, and pick up some allies and enemies along the way. Some major developments happen in this book, more than I expected so early, though I have to remember this series is about half the length of the previous. I enjoyed the excitement in this book and the little hints at a greater hunt that the Vespers are on.

I feel like the different-author-per-book issues aren’t as noticeable so far in this series, which could be due to there being a lot more to look at and build off of. Plus, both of the authors so far have written at least one 39 Clues book already. Amy still struggles with nerves, yet it’s clear that her training has helped her overcome some of it. Dan, though he’s clearly more serious and troubled than he used to be, still has his goofy moments that are reminiscent of his younger self. I appreciate the growth seen in these two; it’s realistic for what they’ve been through. I recommend this book for young and old, anyone who enjoys mystery and adventure for a younger audience.

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Book Review: New Tricks

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New Tricks
Andy Carpenter #7
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When reluctant defense attorney Andy Carpenter is tasked with deciding who should take ownership of a special dog, he realizes that it won’t be simple. The dog’s original owner is dead, and one of the parties who want to be given ownership of the dog is soon accused of the murder. When other people involved with the dog seem to be in danger as well, Andy really has his work cut out for him.

Though Andy generally avoids taking on clients, he often comes across his clients in these books in a fairly basic way—they’re a neighbor, a friend of a friend, etc. This case is different, which is nice in a series that is overall formulaic. There are some other differences from the formula here as well, and a scary moment for Andy (which was less scary for me, since I’ve read several books later in the series). The case itself and the end to it felt a little weak to me, and then the final resolution seemed to come out of nowhere.

Despite the weaker endings, I still enjoyed this book as I have all of the series that I’ve read so far. I recommend the book (especially the audio—Grover Gardner makes Andy’s sarcasm and wit come to life) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas.

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Book Review: The Fall of Five

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The Fall of Five
Lorien Legacies #4
by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with I Am Number Four.

Now that 5 out of 6 of the remaining Garde are together (plus one), it’s time to think about bringing the fight to the Mogodorians. While they inventory their chests and get some training in, the absent Five sends up a signal for them to come find him. Do they finally have what it takes to defeat the Mog leader? Or will they crash and burn?

This was my favorite book of the series so far. The dynamic of the different Garde who grew up with very different lifestyles, combined with the human element, provide an interesting backdrop to the action. The fight scenes didn’t make me resort to scanning like they have in the past (or maybe they were shorter/fewer). There are some epic, cheer-worthy moments early in the book, and then some intrigue and action later too. Though I did predict the climax to some degree, it still had me hooked.

Though I don’t particularly care about Sarah or Sarah and John’s relationship, I’m glad we’ve at least skirted the love triangle. There’s still an element of pairing everyone off, but it gets right to the edge of what would be annoying for me without quite going over. There is a capture-the-flag-type training scene that involves a lot of head hopping (since this series has changed POVs between 3 (or 4?) characters ever since book #2), and it was really confusing, but I think that’s mostly because the Kindle book doesn’t have the (slightly) different fonts for the different POVs. I didn’t always even realize we’d switched POV, especially if it happened at the end of a page, and would get lost, but the print book probably makes that a lot more clear. That’s a formatting thing that the publishers should definitely take into account, but not something I’m going to hold against the book. This book definitely left me wanting to know what happens next, and though #2 was a little shaky for me, I’ve enjoyed the series overall so far and look forward to continuing it.

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Book Review: The Mystery of the Blue Train

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The Mystery of the Blue Train
Hercule Poirot #6
 by Agatha Christie
read by Hugh Fraser

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

I know I haven’t been the biggest fan of this series so far, but this one felt even messier and a bit more convoluted to me. Lots of red herrings and potential suspects are trotted out, there are conversations that amount to nothing, and in the end, the solution is a lot simpler than all of that set-up made it seem like it would be. I actually found the story interesting when the different characters are being introduced and I’m trying to guess who is going to be found dead and who would be the culprit. But the second half or so seemed to slow way down, and that’s where the filler came in. 

What’s funny to me is that while I was listening to this audiobook (narrated very well by Hugh Fraser), I decided that here is where I would end my attempts to go through this series. But afterward, I decided to keep going for now. I think I’m still hoping something will suddenly click and I’ll see what everyone else sees in these books. We’ll see.

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